Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said yesterday that his country welcomes the Netherlands’ plan to return hundreds of colonial-era artifacts — including a bejeweled, ceremonial cannon — and said the Indian Ocean island is working to preserve the historic items.
The Dutch government last week announced that it will return 478 objects of cultural significance to Indonesia and to Sri Lanka. It said the objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting.
Under the plan, Sri Lanka is to receive six artifacts, including the cannon and guns currently in the collection of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijksmuseum. The transfer of ownership to Sri Lanka will take place later this year.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said Sri Lanka is “very grateful” for the items’ return. Discussions continued, he said, to “identify the number of artifacts.”
